The margin for error might be getting ever smaller, but Tottenham's top-four challenge is by no means over after their 3-0 defeat in Sunday's six-pointer at Manchester United
Despite that latest blow, Spurs can look forward with a degree of confidence. They host basement boys Leicester at the weekend, while Liverpool and United go head to head, giving Spurs an immediate chance to close in on at least one of their rivals again.
There are no easy games, as the cliche goes, but six of Tottenham's last nine games are against teams who are currently in the bottom half of the table.
While that includes Aston Villa and Everton, who seem to be finding form, United must take on Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal in their run-in, while also facing Everton and Villa. Liverpool must still visit Arsenal and Chelsea.
It is pointless to predict results but, suffice to say, Spurs' rivals could yet slip up and open the door. The question is whether Mauricio Pochettino's outfit will be primed to pounce.
The recent victories over Swansea and QPR suggested that Spurs can bounce back from their latest disappointment, make their extra class count against the lesser sides and put a winning run together.
The next four games against Leicester, Burnley, Villa and Newcastle provide a good opportunity to build momentum in the race. However, a real ruthlessness will be required from now on and, while Spurs are capable of scoring enough goals, their defence provides real cause for concern.
There has been a strong consistency in the team selection recently, and also in the rearguard's performance -- but not the good kind: Tottenham have conceded 16 goals in their last eight games, an average of two per game.
Pochettino's side recently shipped two goals in four successive games against West Ham, Fiorentina, Chelsea and Swansea. And, although struggling QPR only managed one goal at Loftus Road, Louis van Gaal's United struck three times in 35 minutes as their visitors quickly fell apart on Sunday.
It means Spurs are having to score at least two goals per game to get a result. They have done so on a few occasions recently, but that is unsustainable.
Earlier in the season, Pochettino's insistence on rotating at the back, particularly with his centre-backs, appeared to be unsettling the defence. Now the problem is arguably the opposite -- a lack of options, or at least a lack of quality, trusted options.
Young Eric Dier is a great prospect but he struggled at Old Trafford, both on the ground and in the air. Yet his rivals are Federico Fazio, Younes Kaboul and Vlad Chiriches, who are all understandably out of favour. None of them provide confidence and assuredness.
Fazio is probably the most likely man to come back in, and he is better than Dier in the air, but he is substantially slower and was last seen engaging in a desperate and fruitless chase after Mohamed Salah, having given the Fiorentina man the ball on the halfway line in Italy as Spurs exited the Europa League.
The Argentine looks vulnerable every time he faces pacy forwards, which is most weeks in the Premier League, so is this really the man to come in and shore up the back four? Kaboul and Chiriches have probably been even more erratic, making their own match-defining mistakes.
Kyle Walker has also made defensive errors recently and had a poor game at the weekend. But, once again, there is no one offering credible competition or cover -- which has been a familiar theme at right-back. DeAndre Yedlin, who arrived from Seattle Sounders in January, is understandably deemed not ready given that he is 21 and still adapting to a new country and a new league.
It is fortunate that Danny Rose has been making rapid improvements at left-back, recently cutting out the mistakes that have undermined his general progress, because he is hardly being pushed by Ben Davies, who looks low on confidence.
This issue is not unique to Tottenham's defence -- Pochettino's team largely picks itself at the moment because the challenge from the reserves is so weak. Few of the players on the bench look unfortunate to be there.
Any notions about Tottenham having strength in depth have gradually evaporated as the season has gone on, and Pochettino's own selections speak volumes -- he knows who he can trust, and there aren't many of them.
That will need to be addressed in the summer. The pressing problem is tightening up a defence that is leaking so badly that Spurs' top-four hopes are in real danger of being washed away for another season.
There is still time to right the ship, though, and Saturday's home game against Leicester -- who have failed to score in their last two games -- gives Tottenham's defence the perfect chance to recompose themselves and regain their confidence. The same goes for the team as a whole.
Ben covers Spurs for Ham & High, the local weekly newspaper for Hampstead and Highgate, and the Hackney Gazette. Twitter: @BenPearceSpurs.
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